UC Santa Barbara will be looking to extend its three-game winning streak when it travels to Hawaii on Thursday night. The Gauchos have been on a tear, winning 12 of their last 13 games. Hawaii has won three of its last four games, including a 67-63 win at UC Riverside on Saturday.
UC Riverside won four of its first six games this season, with its losses coming against Northern Arizona and Duquesne in non-conference play. The Gauchos have been hot since then, immediately rattling off a nine-game winning streak. They picked up four straight wins to open Big West play, with two of those victories coming by double digits. UC Santa Barbara had its winning streak snapped in a 65-64 thriller against UC Riverside, despite being a 10.5-point favorite. The Gauchos have responded with a three-game winning streak, beating UC Irvine, Cal State Northridge and Cal State Bakersfield. They were huge favorites in the latter two wins, but they were 2-point underdogs in their 73-65 win against UC Irvine.
Coast to coast! pic.twitter.com/gc8K0JMe67
— UCR Men's Basketball (@UCRMBB) January 21, 2023
The Gauchos have been shooting the ball very well from 2-point range this season, ranked No. 23 nationally in 2-point percentage (55.5). They have been struggling from the perimeter though, knocking down just 33.2% of their 3-pointers (No. 207). Their other issue on the offensive end has been their turnover rate, which is sitting at No. 271 nationally. They will be facing a Hawaii defense that has been terrific, ranked fifth in defensive field goal percentage. Sophomore guard Ajay Mitchell leads UC Santa Barbara with 15.5 points, 4.7 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game. He is joined in double figures by senior forward Miles Norris, who is averaging 13.9 points and 6.3 rebounds.